The invention relates to devices that handle print media, such as printers, copiers, and facsimile machines. More particularly, the invention relates to a method and system for ordering or requesting replacement products for a printing device or an accessory coupled to a printing device.
Printer technology continues to advance, resulting in commercially available printers having faster speed, increased print quality, and improved features. A wide range of printers are commercially available, ranging from relatively inexpensive xe2x80x9cdesktopxe2x80x9d models with few features to more expensive xe2x80x9cprinting pressxe2x80x9d models that have many features and expandable options.
Many printers offer specific features that are implemented within the printer or implemented by an accessory device that is attached to the input or output of the printer. One or more of these optional accessory devices may be connected serially to perform various functions, such as binding documents, stapling documents, hole-punching documents, or depositing a document into an appropriate mailbox. Additionally, one or more of these functions may be performed within the printer itself (e.g., a printer with a built-in stapling device).
Certain features implemented within a printer or in an accessory device attached to the printer require a refillable (or replaceable) product to perform their designated function. For example, a stapling device requires a supply of staples to staple sheets of media together. Similarly, a device that glues media together requires a supply of glue and a device that binds media along an edge of the media requires a supply of the necessary binding materials used to bind the media together.
If the refillable (or replaceable) product that is required to perform a particular function is depleted, the function cannot be performed. For example, if a staple cartridge that stores staples in a printer or accessory device is empty, sheets of media cannot be stapled together until the staple cartridge is replaced with a full cartridge or refilled with staples. To avoid this condition, it would be desirable to notify a user or administrator of the printer (or accessory device) that the staple cartridge (or other refillable product) is nearly empty, thereby allowing the staples or other product to be refilled or replaced prior to depletion.
In some existing printers and accessories, no notification is provided prior to a product being depleted. In this situation, the user learns that the product is depleted when the print jobs are no longer processed using the product (e.g., print jobs are no longer stapled together). This lack of notification is wasteful if the print job must be repeated and frustrating to the user because the user must reprint the job or perform the desired function manually.
Other known printers and accessories display, for example, a xe2x80x9clow staplexe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cstaple outxe2x80x9d message on the printer""s control panel. If a user doesn""t notice the message on the control panel, the printer or accessory device may deplete its product and result in print jobs that are not processed as desired. Constantly checking the printer""s control panel for such messages can be tedious and time-consuming, especially if users of the printer are located a significant distance from the printer.
The embodiments described herein address these and other problems using an improved method and system for acquiring replacement products for a printing device.
A printing system includes a staple sensor that monitors a supply of staples in a stapling device. If the supply of staples are running low, a low staple condition is detected by the staple sensors and a low staple message is generated and communicated to an appropriate application, such as a stock management application. The stock management application then determines whether replacement staples are in stock or whether an order for additional staples is required. If replacement staples are in stock, the stock management application generates a work order to have the printing system refilled with staples.
In one embodiment, a low staple condition is sensed in a stapling device. A low staple message is generated in response to sensing the low staple condition in the stapling device. A computing device designated to manage the replacement of staples is identified. The low staple message is communicated to the computing device. The computing device contains an application that determines whether replacement staples are in stock and is capable of ordering more staples if replacement staples are not in stock.
According to one embodiment, the stapling device is located in a printer.
In another embodiment, the stapling device is located in an accessory device coupled to a printer.
In a described embodiment, the low staple message identifies the type of staples used by the printing device.
In one implementation, the low staple message identifies the location of the printer.